South Dakota State football to play Oklahoma State in 2024 season opener
South Dakota State is adding another big name non-conference football opponent.
The Jackrabbits will visit Oklahoma State in their season opener in 2024, on Aug. 31 at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Jackrabbits will be paid $450,000 for the game, per a report from FBSschedules.com. SDSU coach John Stiegelmeier and deputy athletic director Slade Larscheid confirmed the report.
The matchup replaces a game that had originally been scheduled between SDSU and Nebraska, but that game was moved to 2030 and Nebraska helped coordinate OSU as a replacement for 2024.
It will be the first meeting between SDSU and Oklahoma State.
South Dakota State has stayed primarily in the Big Ten and surrounding areas for non-conference games against FBS schools, and while the Cowboys represent a new face from farther away, Stiegelmeier said there wasn’t a concerted effort to find new foes – they pretty much take what they can get at this point.
More SDSU sports: SDSU women's basketball to play national champion South Carolina at Sanford Pentagon
“It’s getting so hard for us to get an FBS game that whenever we get one, we rejoice,” Stiegelmeier said. “We call a lot of people. When you have success it’s harder. It doesn’t help when you beat Colorado State.”
SDSU defeated Colorado State last year 42-23. It was the Jackrabbits’ second win over an FBS opponent. They also defeated Kansas in 2015.
"I think it's a compliment to Stig and his staff - we've had some close calls and some wins in these FBS games," Larscheid said. "That has created some hurdles in scheduling FBS opponents, but it's a good problem to have."
The Cowboys will be a much stronger opponent than Colorado State. OSU went 12-2 this past season, losing in the Big 12 championship to Baylor and defeating Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. They were 7-0 at Boone Pickens Stadium in what was their 16th consecutive winning season under coach Mike Gundy.
The Cowboys are apparently not bothered by playing FCS opponents – they’re slated to host Arkansas-Pine Bluff this year, Central Arkansas in 2023 and a pair of Missouri Valley Football Conference foes after that: Murray State in 2026 and Western Illinois in 2027.
OSU is the second non-conference opponent SDSU has secured for 2024, joining Utah Tech (formerly known as Dixie State).
The Jacks have six FBS opponents on their future schedules, including this fall’s game at the Iowa Hawkeyes. They’re also slated to visit Northwestern in 2026, Iowa State in 2027 and Nebraska in 2028 and 2030.
Larscheid said SDSU is "aggressively pursuing" FBS opponents for the 2023 and 2025 seasons.
“It’s exciting anytime we can add an FBS opponent,” Stiegelmeier said. “We’re excited to go to Iowa this fall. You see the hype build up on social media, the excitement from the fans on both sides – it’s going to be like Colorado State times 10.”
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota State football to play Oklahoma State in 2024
